New legislation prohibits New York’s public bodies from working with BDS, divest from companies and organizations advocating for them; UN Ambassador Danny Danon welcomes legislation, says it constitutes important blow to BDS movement.

Photo: Governor Andrew Cuomo and Consul General Ido Aharoni

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that his state is taking significant steps against the BDS movement, which calls for a boycott against the State of Israel.

Governor Cuomo signed legislation stating that any company which boycotts Israel will be boycotted by the State of New York. The legislation was signed two hours before the yearly Israel parade in New York City.

The governor announced the new measures at an event in the presence of Israel Consul General of New York Ido Aharoni and Director of the Jewish Conference of Presidents Malcolm Honlein, and dozens of legislators including Representative Jerrold Nadler.

Cuomo further stated that he will focus on compiling a list of businesses and organizations that support BDS and will instruct state institutions not to work with and divest from them.

Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon hosted the largest international conference against BDS at the UN headquarters in New York last week. Danon welcomed the governor’s decision: “Governor Cuomo’s announcement is another effective strike against those seeking to harm Israel.”

“America is Israel’s largest and most important ally, and the governor’s initiative emphasizes this special bond. This is another crucial victory to defeat the BDS phenomenon and other states will soon join the fight and help curb BDS in the United States,” said Danon.

Consul General Aharoni expressed great satisfaction with the governor’s decision and thanked him for his support of Israel and the Jewish people. He mentioned that Cuomo was the only US governor, who visited Israel during Operation Protective Edge.